The Art of Gary Rubin

Fall Show coming up

2011-10-22T17:08:00.001-04:00

The primary gallery where I show my most recent works is the Plantation Artists' Guild Gallery here on Amelia Island in Florida. Incidentally, I was just elected President of the organization. The guild changes the artwork in the gallery every three months and now it is time for the November show. Because this show falls in the holiday season, we always try to include some gift ideas. This time we will have a "show within a show" that features some $100 paintings. Some artists will discount paintings that have not sold at higher prices. I chose to paint a couple of minatures instead. These two are oil on 8X10 wood panels. First is "Welcome to the Islands" based on an old photo I shot on a scuba trip to the Caribbean. The second is "Island Docks". It, too, is based on a snapshot from a Caribbean vacation.

For the regular show, I will be adding "The Beach House", "Dawn on the River", and "The Intrepid Hunter". These are all larger oil on canvas paintings. Each of these was based on combining two or more images to tell a story. " The Beach House" is meant to depict the restful nature of a dwelling situated on sand with tropical vegetation surrounding it. "Dawn on the River" reveals the beauty of multi-colored skies at daybreak on Florida's east coast rivers--a sight seen only by early dawn fishermen. "The Intrepid Hunter" is Florida as nature intended--a quiet pond, water lilies, trees and a lone water bird searching for prey.

Getting Ready for End of Summer Show

2011-07-31T14:39:00.000-04:00

Four new paintings are ready for the end of Summer show.

Almost Spring in Montmartre is a scene from the park area next to Sacre Couer Basilica. I spotted the young couple on the bench while I was wandering around Montmartre during my trip to Paris earlier this year. The promise of Spring with the green developing and the unique pink haze in the distant trees demanded a very soft looking approach. Midnight in Paris came from the same trip. A late night walk along the dampened street near my hotel revealed the streaks and sparkles of light that epitomize a drizzly city after dark.

Village Square is a composite of several locations that I visited last Summer in Italy. The anticipation of the day as the tables and umbrellas are ready for the inhabitants to gather is uplifting and welcoming. Tortola Tranquility comes from a photo I shot nearly 20 years ago on one of my diving trips to the Caribbean. As the day ends and the sun begins to set over the harbor, everything seems to be at peace.

Spring 2011

2011-04-15T14:37:00.000-04:00

Spring show at the gallery New paintings I have completed for the show illustrate my varying interests in the world around me. Two of them are revisits to earlier subjects. One is the last of my Italian works, and the fourth was inspired by a visit to the Jacksonville zoo.
The Italian painting is from the garden behind the villa we stayed in during last summer's Tuscany sojourn. I admired the way the pigeons took ownership of the fountain (when the water was off) in the midst of the rosemary plants. Their colors worked so well with the vibrant greens. The title was obvious--Pigeons with Rosemary.
The "Old Fishing Bridge" is based on a bridge that used to connect Little Talbot Island to Fort George Island on the road to Jacksonville. I originally painted this scene several years ago--when the bridge was still in place. It has since been replaced with a more modern structure that doesn't have the same character. Bridge fishing is very popular in the area and I felt I wanted to take another look at this on a larger scale.
"Sailing Home" is a combination of subjects I covered a few years ago after a visit to Martha's Vineyard.
The lighthouse and the sailboat had been painted separately and I thought I would like to see them together.
I had captured each of them at separate times from the ferry.

Finally, on a warm winter day a few months ago I visited the Jacksonville zoo. When I saw the two endangered Florida panthers napping together in the shade, I knew they would make a good painting. I call this one "Nap time".

There is also one other painting that I recently finished. It was a commissioned portrait for a good repeat patron. I titled it " Russ Rides".

2011-01-31T19:31:00.000-05:00

Buon Giorno--
Two more paintings from this past summer's stay in Italy. Both of these are going in the next show at the Plantation Artists' Guild and Galllery. In My Garden shows some of the billiant red flowers in bloom around one of the statues around the pool garden at the villa we rented in Tuscany. What a gorgeous place! The Market is from an open air market in Rome. The animated discussion between the shopper and the vendor caught my eye. With the colorful fruits and vegetables and the assorted other goods for sale, it begged to be put on canvas.
I will probably add a couple more from this trip for the next quarterly show. I am currently working on one that depicts a couple of pigeons resting on a fountain in the garden. At the same time, I have been working on a commission of a friend on his bicycle. I will try and post that one before I deliver it.
In a couple of weeks we will be leaving for Paris. I hope to find some fantastic street scenes to paint for the Fall show. More about that when we return.

Bon Giorno

2010-11-01T15:47:00.000-04:00

Newest Paintings for the November Gallery show

These three are the first from this summer's stay in Tuscany and Rome. What a glorious setting for a painter. Unfortunately, the weather was brutally hot, so I shot photographs as quickly as I could and then rushed to find a cooler spot...or another gelato. The first is titled Ruins Repose and is of one of the residents in Rome's cat sanctuary. What a unique and interesting idea to give over some of the ruins to the feral cats!
The second, Amore, is of a wedding we came across in one of the Roman squares. The wedding photographer was posing the newlyweds in a number of glamorous poses, and I thought I must paint one of these. A romantic memory.
The last is called Tuscan Washday. I believe I shot the photo I based it on in Montepulciano. Although, it could have been in any of the Tuscan towns I visited. It was common architecture in many.

2010-07-14T11:30:00.001-04:00

Four new paintings for the gallery

2010-07-14T10:51:00.001-04:00

Once again it is time to change over the exhibits at the Plantation Artists' Guild and Gallery. I have completed four new paintings for the next show. This time I dug through some old photos that I had stockpiled and came up with ideas that provide some variety. I'm surprised that I hadn't used these as inspiration before, because they all appeal to me on a personal level.

Two of them are studies of sunsets on water. I am always fascinated with the colors and movement in that environment. Another has to do with motion of a different kind--bicycle racing. Although I don't race, I still like to ride and feel the exhilaration of pedaling through open country. Finally, the fourth is another study of flowers. This is always interesting to me because of the intricate details and subtle color shifts in nature. We'll see if the buying public feels as strongly about these new additions as I do.

New Show Coming Up

2010-04-18T15:01:00.000-04:00

The Plantation Artists Guild and Gallery, where I serve as guild director, is planning its new show. The shows there are changed every three months in order to keep the gallery fresh for visitors. This next show will debut around Mothers' Day. I will be showing three new paintings that I have completed in my Tuesday morning painting group. One is of an evening sky here just before a storm. Another is based on a photo that a friend and fellow Tuesday painter gave me of his vacation in Canada. The third returns to our trip to the Greek Isles a couple of years ago. These are each quite different from the others, but all demonstrate the experimentation that I am doing in these group painting sessions. We find it to be both fun and productive to get together, share ideas, listen to music and gently critique each other.

2010-02-10T12:22:00.000-05:00

Several new paintings from recent months

The most recent works cover some thoughts based on the North Carolina trip a year ago and also on bouquets for special occasions. The first one came from a slow boat ride past a park bench on a dock bathed in sunshine. I called it Afternoon Delight. The second was inspired by a little white dock contrasting with the autumn colors. I added a young boy fishing (Playin' Hooky) to provide a little whimsy.

The florals, Happy Anniversary and Mothers Day, were intended to prolong the special feelings stirred by gifts of flowers.

These four, along with Vineyard Parking, are currently on display at the Plantation Artists' Guild and Gallery here on Amelia Island. The last one mentioned is based on a photo I took from the ferry coming in to Martha's Vineyard. I liked the composition of numerous boats in front of the New England shingled houses amongst the trees.

Latest Paintings

2009-10-05T13:53:00.000-04:00

Living here on a barrier island at the Northeastern tip of Florida, marsh scenes are very popular subjects for painters. I recently tried my hand at two. One is somewhat realistic, while the other is more abstract. I enjoyed painting both. I also recently completed another of my impressionistic marine paintings on red backgrounds.

2009-07-23T15:11:00.000-04:00

It has been a busy summer at the Plantation Artists' Guild and Gallery which is now my primary gallery. As part of my duties as Guild Director (not official until Nov.) I have started a Tuesday painters group where artists working in varying mediums gather to paint together and talk. I am finding it to be inspiring and productive. Two of the three new paintings I am adding here were done in the Tuesday sessions. "Approaching Murano" was based on a stormy photo that my daughter sent me from one of the family excursions to Italy. "Menemsha Docks" is a more impressionistic treatment of a scene I have painted before. "Fernandina Shrimpboats" is also a scene I have painted previously, but this time it is on a much larger scale.

Recently finished paintings

2009-05-04T14:50:00.000-04:00

I have completed three new paintings this Spring and am nearly done with a fourth. First was a somewhat abstract view of the local area's shrimpboats. This is a bit of a departure for me, but I enjoyed it and am happy with the result. The second is a scene from the trip we took a year ago to the Greek Isles. The almost tame pink pelicans on the beach there were posing for pictures. I had to oblige. The third is from my own backyard. Butterflies and bees seem to love my bottlebrush tree. The colors are so vivid that I had to try to capture them.

2009-01-25T15:18:00.000-05:00

Another Golf Painting Here's my latest. Another from the Fall trip to North Carolina. This one is called In the Fairway. This course had lush green fairways sweeping up and down through the trees. With the added color of fall foliage and the quiet of the mountain location, it was true serenity--no matter how bad the actual game was.

2009-01-04T10:55:00.000-05:00

Colors of Fall
This Fall we traveled to beautiful Lake Toxaway in North Carolina to see the colors. The crisp air causes fantastic changes to the trees in those mountains. The views around the lake and on the golf courses almost look like a child's rendition with crayons. Brilliant reds, yellows and oranges mix with the bright greens and blues to make an almost unreal color scheme. In the first two paintings I have completed from that trip, I hope I have come close to capturing the feeling of the area.

What I did this summer

2008-09-27T15:08:00.000-04:00

This summer I completed two more paintings based on scenes from last year's Greek Island visit. Both are in oil on 18x24 canvas. The top one is titled The Commuter and the other is Just Browsing. I was really taken with the widespread use of whitewash and bright colored ironwork. The bright Aegean sun made everything sparkle and appear beautifully clean.

Another New Painting

2008-07-17T14:47:00.000-04:00

I just finished another one. Manarola Boatman is based on a photo looking down from the cliffs at Manarola in the Cinque Terre area of Italy. There are five villages in this area that are a hiker's delight. Great scenery--cliffs, vineyards, quaint villages--good food and not quite so many tourists.

New Painting

2008-06-03T14:02:00.000-04:00

Just finished another painting that was inspired by a scene on one of the Greek Islands--I think it was Santorini. This open-air restaurant surrounded by little shops offered lots of color, but the lone seated customer was the real story. Check it out on my link.

2008-05-06T14:42:00.000-04:00

Two of my newest paintings, which you can view by clicking on the link, A Classic amidst the Classics and Morning Glory Construction are based on things I saw on last summer's cruise of the Greek Islands. Both were on an early morning walk through the old city of Rhodes. The first one was I turned a corner to view some old ruins, there was this shiny Jaguar parked in the street. It was so out of place yet so perfect that I immediately knew this was going to be a painting. The second was a construction site on one of the side streets that appeared almost abandoned except for the promise of the beautiful morning glories.
I gathered a lot of material on that trip and will describe more as I paint them.

Welcome to My Blog

2008-04-27T20:25:00.000-04:00

I have finally figured out how to show more of my paintings to more of you out there. With a little help from my oldest daughter, Stephanie, and hours of frustration I have created this blog. From time to time I will post items about the paintings I am working on and events in my life as an artist. If you don't see what you want here, let me know. I do commissions as well as putting down on canvas the things that I find interesting. I hope you like them.